When You Least Expect It
by Travon203
Summary: Sort of AU; After Emily and Seth break up, she dives into her work. But there is one thing distracting her from her job. National Security Advisor Aaron Shore. Will they get together again and have more than just a kiss?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hi everyone, this is my first fanfic about Emily and Aaron from Designated Survivor. **_Warning:_**** I have not watched much of Season 2 when I found out that their relationship wasn't going anywhere and then she started dating Seth. **Anyways, this is slightly AU and I hope you enjoy. Thanks!

* * *

As Chief of Staff, Emily's job had never been busier than when she was working at HUD. She spent her time putting out fires, going to meetings that almost always went nowhere, and coming home to an empty apartment. That last part wasn't a huge issue. It was more that she didn't expect that this was now her life. No breaks, no time for a vacation. Then again, how could she when she's too busy running the country. It had been a year since she had that kiss with Aaron. With that one kiss, she could imagine her relationship with him. From the longing looks across the table to every single time they were alone together, she saw how far they had come. In a way, she missed him even though their relationship never went anywhere. It was a simple kiss, at least that's what she thought it had been at the time.

After Seth and her broke up, Emily needed to put herself to work. She had been basically living in her office, which was noticeable by the pillow and blanket hanging off the side of the sofa. The table next to her desk was piled with old fast food paper bags. She was now on her fourth cup of coffee, a quarter to midnight. She was currently working on a way to bring the refugees from Syria safe passage to the United States. So far, she was facing backlash from the FBI, NSA, and State on suspected terrorists from there. Aaron walked in her office and stood at the door, noticing her make-shift bed.

"You know this couch sucks, right? It's whacked out my back a couple of times," he smirked walking towards her.

Emily looked up to see Aaron in his suspenders and his rolled-up sleeves, "Believe me, I know. It's just been too hectic to go home and change and then come back here. It's just easier to stay here."

"C'mon Em. You gotta take better care of yourself. You know that if Kirkman finds out you've been living here, he's gonna send you home."

"I know. It's just until we solve this."

Aaron walked around her desk and leaned against it, "The world's still gonna be here tomorrow."

She smiled at him, "What are you still doing here, anyway?"

"I was about to leave, but then I saw you here and I can't leave here before the Chief of Staff does. That would be unprofessional," he grinned. "Wanna go grab a drink?"

"I don't know. I probably shouldn't."

"Come on, let's go. You need a break."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her off her chair. She gave in and grabbed her closet. They then headed to the bar down the street.

They sat down at the bar and ordered two beers. Across from them was a jazz singer by the name of Jerry Armstrong. He was singing the classic "Fly Me to the Moon". Emily watched the piano player playing near them. She closed her eyes and moved her fingers along the song, reaching for every note. Aaron smiled when he saw her, remembering the time he walked in on her with the piano in the White House.

"So, any news on the refugee situation?" he asked, taking a sip from his beer.

"No, nothing yet. State still want to keep screening them, but that could take weeks to get through all of them. Weeks that we don't have."

"There's no other way unless you know someone else who could screen all of them faster than us and we're going at a maximum level."

Emily then realized the answer, "What if we could?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if we could ask our friends across the pond to help us?"

"What, you mean MI-5? We're not exactly buddies with them at the moment."

"Think about it. We publicly announce that their government is going to help us out with a humanitarian situation, one where they can't just say no to the public nor the refugees. It's a win-win situation. It makes us look good. It makes them look good. My god, this is brilliant! Thank you!"

She looked at him and in her slightly drunken phase, she leaned in and kissed him. She took in his scent and pulled him towards her. His lips felt so soft and velvety, reminding her the kiss from last year. After letting go of him and gasping for air, she realized what she had done.

She put her hands on her mouth and looked down, "Oh my god. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to... It just came out of nowhere."

Aaron was still taken aback by what just happened and had said nothing.

"I'm gonna go. Umm... Thank you for helping me. I'll, uhh, see you tomorrow," Emily said. She grabbed her purse and ran out of the bar. By the time Aaron had finally become of aware of her absence, he called out her name too late.


	2. Chapter 2

6 AM

Though she had not drink much, Emily woke up with a pounding headache and got up from her bed. She walked into her kitchen to grab an aspirin. She had been lying in bed for an hour, thinking about the kiss. It was good as far as kisses go. But that wasn't the issue. The issue was how she was going to explain the impromptu kiss to Aaron because she knew he would want to talk about it. She tried to come up with a bunch of excuses. I had one too many beers and didn't know what I was doing. Or I got caught up in the excitement of solving a global crisis. But deep down, she knew why she did it, but she wasn't going to tell him why. She popped the aspirin in her mouth and got dressed for work.

An hour later, Emily was in her office, looking over some reports her assistant gave her. She had a meeting with the President and Aaron in ten minutes. He hadn't been by her office all morning, which was maybe a good thing. Seth then knocked on her door and entered her office.

"Hey, the press has been hounding me about the Syrian refugees."

"Please tell me you've got something that I can tell them."

"Not yet. After I speak with the president, I'll come see you."

"Okay."

Seth got up from his chair and turned towards the door.

"Seth, have you seen Aaron this morning?"

"Uhh.. Yeah, I saw him heading him."

"Did he look confused? Pissed?"

"He looked fine. Why?"

"No reason."

Seth proceeded to leave his office while Emily stared off into the distance in her office. She looked at her watch and decided to head over the Oval Office. She entered the room, noticing that Aaron had already gotten there before her. He glanced at her and she couldn't read his expression. There was no hint of anger or confusion or even happiness. He was just the same old Aaron she had been arguing over policy the day before.

During the course of meeting, Emily kept zoning in and out, prompting the president if she was alright. She just kept thinking about the man sitting two feet across from her and wondered what he was thinking. She didn't know how to act or be around him anymore. After they concluded the end of the meeting, Emily was the first person out of the room, with Aaron following her and calling her name.

"Emily, hold up," he said chasing after her in the hallway.

"Aaron, so we should probably contact State and tell them to set up a meeting with MI-5. And then we'll go from there, she said deflecting any possible questions.

"Emily, wait."

"I'm sorry, but I have a meeting to go to right now," she said walking away from him.

Emily went to her office and shut the door, ignoring her assistant on the way in. She sat down at her desk and pulled one of her anti-anxiety meds from her drawers. She rarely needed them but they were always there just in case. She continued to work throughout the day, without lunch and more on caffeine as if it was water. By the time it was dark, everyone else had gone home. Most nights, it was usually the janitors around the hallway that kept her company. Taking a break from her work, she decided to get up and stretch around her office. Aaron then walked in.

"Hey."

Emily quickly turned around, "Oh hey."

After an awkward pause, Aaron spoke up, "Are we going to talk about last night?"

"What do you mean? There's nothing to talk about. I kissed you. End of story."

"Yeah, I know. But I want to know why."

"What do you mean 'why'? I had one too many beers," she said, immediately thinking of her response from this morning.

"Come on, Em. You only had one beer and you're also not a lightweight so I know that you were of sound mind," he said as he took a step closer to her.

"Well, I don't what you want from me. I told you why. That's it," she said. She was currently trapped between him and her desk, with nowhere else to turn.

"Can I ask you something?" Aaron asked.

Emily was not expecting this response, "Sure."

"What if I told you that I liked the kiss? That I've been thinking about you all day? That no matter how hard I tried, all I could do was just think about you and how smart and beautiful you looked in that meeting?" he said as he put his hand on her. Their faces inched closer and closer and soon his lips were on hers. Aaron put his hands around her and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. Emily was taken aback by the sudden movement but she didn't mind until she realized where they were. She put her arms on his to gently push him back.

"Aaron, we can't do this," she said. With a look of confusion from Aaron, she further explained, "We work together."

"Come on, nobody's going to care. We'll remain professional in front of everyone."

"I don't know..."

He then took her hands in his, "I thought you wanted this."

"I do. Trust me, more than you could ever know, but I forgot that we work in the White House, where there's constant scandals and rumors. I don't want to do anything that could affect the President or his administration."

"We won't. Just trust _me_," he said leaning in for another kiss. "Wanna get out of here?"

Emily nodded and grabbed her coat and purse. They walked out of her office, hand in hand.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey everyone, I hoped you enjoyed these two chapters. I was thinking about ending it here, but I feel like I can keep it going. Please let me know what you think! Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

Days after they made their relationship official, they decided to keep their news to themselves for a bit. They didn't want any rumors spreading, at least not yet. So far, she enjoyed waking up to Aaron at her side. The way he watched her sleep while stroking her hair.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," he said.

Emily briefly opened her eyes, watching how the sun managed to hit him at the perfect angles, creating this glowing shine on him. "Good morning to you too," she said kissing his arm.

"So, dinner tonight?"

"I can't," she pouted. "I've got several meetings with Education and Labor. Probably not going to make it out on time."

"Oh, okay. That's alright. I guess I'll have dinner with another of the most powerful women in DC."

"Oh yeah? And who would that be?"

"Hold on, let me come up with one."

She lightly slapped him on his chest, earning him a smile from her.

Their routine was still the same to avoid suspicion. Emily would leave her place first and Aaron would wait fifteen minutes before leaving. They would enter separately in different entrances, which they had done before they got together.

While Aaron was working in his office, Seth walked in with a pile of case files and dumped it on his desk.

"We have a problem."

Aaron closed his laptop and looked up at Seth. "Okay."

"A journalist just asked me if Kirkman is running for reelection."

"This seems like a job for the White House Chief of Staff. Not the National Security Advisor."

"I know, but since you and the president are close, I figured you might have an answer."

"Seth, just say no comment."

"But is he running for reelection?"

"No comment."

Seth gave up on the questioning and left Aaron's office, which left Aaron thinking whether or not Kirkman was going to run for reelection. Ever since he had been sworn in, all they focused on was the daily fires they had to put out. They hadn't even thought that far ahead.

After the three-hour long meeting with Education, Emily was wiped. But then again that may have been from the lack of sleep from last night. The past few days had been good for her. She felt less anxiety and stress. All she thought about was the next time she would see Aaron. Luckily, they worked in the same building. So she decided to stop by his office during noon.

"Hey," she said, closing the door on the way in.

"Hey, how was your meeting?" he asked meeting her halfway and greeting her with a kiss.

"Much better now," she said leaning her body into him.

"That bad, huh?"

"Yeah. Bureaucracy sucks."

"Do you have any plans right now? We could go to lunch?" he asked.

"I can't," she said looking at her watch. "I have a meeting in twenty minutes with Labor. Raincheck?"

"Sure."

She gave him a kiss goodbye before heading out to her meeting.

"Wait, Emily," he called out, waiting for her to turn around. "Do you know if Kirkman is running for reelection?"

"No, I don't. Why?"

"No reason. Just wondering."

"Okay."

She left his office, leaving him to conduct some more research on possible opposition against Kirkman, which wasn't really in his job description but he had to know.

By the time the sun was setting, Emily had one last meeting to go to, which was to update the President. She had hoped that it would go by quick, but then again you can't rush the president.

"Great work, Emily. Now go home and get some rest."

"Thank you, sir. Good night, sir." As she headed towards the door, she was reminded of Aaron's question earlier and turned around again. "Sir, are you planning to not run for reelection?"

Kirkman took off his glasses and took a deep breath before speaking, "To be honest, we've been so full-throttle since the beginning that I haven't had a second to think about the future. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, it was just something that came up in one of my meetings today."

"Well, we still got time. When I make my decision, you'll be one of the first to know."

"Okay. Good night, Mr. President."

Emily left the Oval Office, scurrying along back to her office. It had already been past 7pm as she glanced at her watch. She pulled out her personal phone and texted Aaron to see if he still wanted to grab dinner. As she finished sending out her text, she looked up from her phone to see candles lit all around her room. In front of her was Aaron sitting on her sofa with a bag of Chinese takeout on the table.

"Oh my god, Aaron. You didn't have to do this."

"I figured if you couldn't have dinner tonight, then I would bring it to you instead."

Emily put her arms around his waist, taking in his scent, before locking lips together. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Aaron grabbed plates and the takeout while Emily grabbed a couple of beers from the staff break room. Normally alcohol was prohibited, but not when there would be some leftover liquor from a staff party.

"Guess what?"

"I asked Kirkman about reelection and he said he would think about it."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"I'm not sure."

* * *

**A/N:** Hi everyone. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. I want to thank the two reviewers for their comments. It meant a lot to me! And if anyone has ideas on where they think this story should be headed, please PM me or review. Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

Weeks after her conversation with Kirkman, Emily decided to look at potential campaign managers. Even though the president was still taking his time, she wanted to have potentials just in case. It would save her the trouble later. So far, she liked Lyor Boone, Ph.D in Philosophy and History. He's known as a "mercenary" with no party allegiance who always likes to finish the job until the end. The only thing people mentioned that was somewhat odd was that he was just odd. Based on her contacts, Lyor can be blunt and lack social skills. However, his dedication to the job makes up for it, by seeing things through. That's what Emily liked about him.

It was a late Friday night when Emily was pulling an all-nighter in her office. She had to finish reviewing all the files for tomorrow's meeting with Senators Rouse and Dunlap on the abortion bill. That was not going to be a fun conference tomorrow. There was a light knock on the door.

"Come in," she said without looking up.

"Late night, huh?" the President said. Emily looked up in slight shock.

"Mr. President... Good evening," she stammered while standing up.

"No no please. No need to get up," he gestured.

"What can I do for you, sir?" she asked.

"A couple of weeks ago, you asked me if I was going to run for reelection and I said I would have to think about it," he said taking a seat across from her. "I spoke to Alex and she said she would support me in whatever my choices were. Which got me thinking about how much she's supported when I was Secretary of HUD. With her by my side, I got to help the community and advocate for housing. Theen I thought about Penny and Leo and how they needed to see that with love and support, they could do whatever they wanted. And as president, I could show the support the American people need to rebuild themselves again. And so I've decided. I'm running for reelection."

Emily was speechless for a moment, but recaptured herself, "Congratulation sir. By all means, we should celebrate this. But if you have some time, we could go over some campaign stuff."

"Let me guess, you already have someone in mind."

"Yes, sir."

"Okay, well first we are both going to go home to our significant others and talk first thing in the morning."

"Sir, I think you're mistak-" she said before Aaron knocked on her door holding a bottle of scotch.

"Mr. President, I didn't know you were going to be here," Aaron said entering the office.

"I was just leaving," Kirkman said getting up from his chair as Emily did too. He smiled at her, "Have a good night, you too."

Emily tried to hide her blush before meeting eyes with Aaron.

"What was that?" Aaron asked.

"Nothing. Did you need something?"

"Do I have to need something to see my girlfriend?"

"I guess not," she said kissing him.

"When are you going to be done?"

"Not for awhile. Why don't you head home first?" Emily slipped out. "Home" was not something that they had discussed. Usually, it meant that they would head back to Aaron's place since it was much closer to the White House. She became quiet to see his reaction, knowing that he heard what she said. Instead a key appeared in front of her. "What's this?"

"A key to my apartment. Since you're gonna be _home_ late."

"Oh," she paused. "You don't think we're moving too fast?"

"No, do you? Cause if you do, I could just take it back" he teased.

"No" she smiled, taking the key from his hand.

He let her get back to work and headed home first. She sat down back at her desk, content with how their relationship seemed to move so naturally. She didn't have to worry if they were moving too fast or too slow. It just seemed perfect.

Months after Kirkman officially announced that he was running for president again, everyone began running on fumes, which was an understatement. Going on the trail was more exhausting than Kirkman and Emily thought. Staffers running around, knocking down doors and calling people reminding them to vote. Lyor was adjusting to his new environment as did the staffers to him. He surely was an oddball, but he was good. Spitting out new polling numbers allowed him to give them an analysis where Kirkman needed to go and what he needed to say.

The first place on the trail was Iowa. Kirkman was scheduled for a town hall meeting in two days and everyone was trying to make sure nothing went wrong. Emily was finishing up talking with some coordinators when Aaron snuck behind her and grabbed her around the waist.

"Hey," he said kissing her cheek.

"Hey."

"Want to go grab lunch with me and Seth?"

"I'm good, you guys go ahead. I've gotta keep an eye-" she said before she threw a huge coughing fit with a need to gasp for air in the end.

"Em, are you alright? This cough is still going on?" he asked with concerned looks. She nodded. "Maybe you should go see the doctor."

Emily immediately shook her head, "I'm fine."

"You sure? You haven't been eating much either."

"Aaron, I'm fine. I just don't feel like eating," she reassured him.

"Okay, I'll be back," he said kissing her goodbye.

Emily knew something within her was up, but she didn't have time to worry about herself. She had a job to do. The President was working his ass off for this, sacrificing his time with his kids for this. There was no way she was going to take a break for anything else.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey everyone, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. I want to thank the reviewers again! I love having the support for this story. Thanks!


	5. Chapter 5

Weeks later, Emily went back to Washington to hold down the fort for a bit while the President was still campaigning in Iowa. She didn't want to go, but Kirkman made her go back after seeing how tired she was and functioning on and off during the meetings. She knew it was his way of caring, but she didn't want to be on the sidelines if she didn't have to. Luckily, Aaron remained with the President and the team, keeping her updated every day. Now that Iowa was done, they were going to move on to New Hampshire, but Aaron requested a day back in DC. He hadn't seen Emily in days so he wanted to make up for it.

He knocked on her door at four in the afternoon, tired from the jet lag but nothing made him happier than seeing his girlfriend basking in the sunlight from the sun's direct rays on her back.

"I don't think you've ever looked more beautiful than now," he announced, causing her to look up at her door.

"Aaron," she said dejectly. "Hey, you're back..."

"I would have expected some more enthusiasm but this works too," he said wrapping her in a hug after kissing her.

"Sorry, just distracted right now."

He held his eyes on her face. Something was off, but he couldn't explain it. He noticed the puffiness under her bloodshot eyes. He pulled his body to encapture hers. Her entire physique was different as she managed to lose ten pounds within two weeks. Her body seemed so fragile and weak, as she couldn't stand up for long and mostly leaning on him. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm good," she said embracing him with a smile.

"Okay. Dinner later?"

"Sure."

"I'm gonna go home and grab a quick shower and I'll pick you up here in about an hour."

"Sounds good," she said.

Emily went back to her work, making some calls to a couple more congresswomen for the votes they needed in an upcoming bill. Exactly an hour later, Aaron came back wearing a light blue plaid dress shirt with a dark pair of jeans.

"Hey, ready?" he asked.

"Yep," she said. "Where are we going?"

"El Jardin de Los Sabores!" he said energetically, almost jumping up from his excitement. "it's just two blocks down."

"Alright."

They walked down the street in silence, neither of them not really knowing what to say, which was a first. Emily always wanted to talk about work and Aaron wanted to talk about something else besides work. They entered the dining establishment, feeling the family vibe from the employees. There were lights plastered around the walls while music was playing from the speakers near the bar. They were shown to their table where they both took a seat. Aaron had wanted to ask her what was wrong, but didn't know where to start. He kept putting his menu up and down and glancing at her, trying to figure out how to ask. Luckily, Emily noticed his hesitation.

"Aaron, what's going on with you" she said.

He put down his menu and sighed, "Earlier today, you seemed different. Like you had been crying or something. Is there something going on?"

"No," she answered too quickly," she tucked her hair behind her ear, "I'm just stressed from the campaigning. That's all."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Aaron," she said, starting to get irritated at his questioning. "Can we just drop it?"

After their night of awkward and uncomfortable dinner, their relationship began to take a turn for the worse. They began to talk less, and when they would, it would always end with Emily walking away aloof. Her responses were always sarcastic and contemptuous. There were less signs of affection as she wouldn't even let him touch her. Aaron didn't understand why she was being so distant. Every time he would ask her what was wrong, she would say that it was nothing. She would brush it off and say that it's just stress.

"Come on, Emily. Just tell me what's wrong. Please," he pleaded. It had been four weeks already and he was getting tired of this. So he decided to confront her after a formal event with foreign dignitaries. They were in his apartment, getting ready for bed.

"Nothing, Aaron. How many times do we have to do this? It's just stress," she said angrily. They were standing across from each other with the bed in between.

"Just tell me. This isn't stress. We haven't been on the trail in two weeks."

"I'm Chief of Staff. I have a million fires to put out. I can't be there for you all the time."

"Em, it's me Aaron. I love you. Whatever it is, whatever you need, just tell me," he said circling around the bed to her. As he got closer, she took a step back. They met their eyes and she could feel his breath. He put his hand on her cheek and caressed her face. "Please, Em."

She shook herself out of this trance and pushed his hand away, "I think we need to break up."

* * *

**A/N:** Two chapters in one day, huh? I was going to put them together but it didn't seem right. Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

Aaron shook his head, "What? I don't understand."

Emily sniffled, "You don't have to. Look I'm gonna go and I guess I'll see you in the morning."

He tried to grab her hand but she walked away swiftly, grabbing a change of clothes and packing some stuff before leaving. "Em, wait. Come on." He followed her out to the living room.

"I'm sorry, Aaron," she said shutting the door, leaving Aaron standing staggering.

Emily didn't really have a plan at the moment, but she knew that Seth would be available and hoped that he would let her crash on her couch. She hailed a taxi to his apartment and knocked on his door, hoping that he wasn't already asleep.

"Emily. Hey, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Aaron?" he asked, still dressed in his tuxedo from the event.

"Hey do you mind if I crash here for a few days?" she asked, sniffling and eyes tearing up again.

"Sure, is everything okay?"

"No."

She walked past him and set her stuff down near the couch. Seth followed behind her and sat down on the couch next to her. "You guys got into a fight," he said as more of a statement more than a question, judging from her face.

"We broke up," she said.

"Oh my god, Em. I'm so sorry," he said putting his hand on her shoulder. "What happened?"

Emily wiped her tears and turned her body towards Seth, pausing before she recaptured herself, "I have cancer."

Seth sat there dumbfoundedly, taking moments to reel in the news before verbally reacting, "How? What? Is that why you broke up with Aaron?"

Emily started bawling at this point and made it out incoherent sentences. The only thing Seth could do was take her in his arms and rub his hand on her back to comfort her. Emily woke up on the couch with a blanket on top of her. Next to her was a glass of water and some aspirin. Seth walked out to the living room to find Emily sitting up from the couch, taking the pill in her hand.

"Hey," he said.

"Morning."

"So... Can we talk about last night?"

"Seth," she shot him a glare.

"Just tell me what's the plan now. Obviously, you need to go see a doctor. And make appointments. And get treatment."

"Seth," she stopped him. "Stop. You can't be more stressed out than me and I'm the one who has cancer."

"Sorry, I just don't want anything to happen. God, how did this even happen? You're too young to have cancer."

"The doctors said it was only preliminary but it's likely that I have it. I have an appointment today at noon so hopefully I'll know more by then."

"Do you want me to come with you?" he offered.

"No, that's alright."

"Wait, what about Aaron? I'm assuming you haven't told him."

"I can't."

"Em, you have to. You love him."

"What am I supposed to do? Tell some guy that I've only been with for six months that I have cancer? That he has to spend the next couple of months at my side and see me suffer? I'd rather we break it off clean."

"But he's not some guy. He's your partner. Someone who's going to want to be with you and at your side. Come on, we're talking about Aaron. The one guy around here who takes care of the people he loves. Just take it as someone who's also dated you before, he's gonna stick around for you no matter how much you don't like it."

Seth left her to her own thoughts, which prompted her to rethink her own situation. Seth was right, in the sense that Aaron wasn't the type of guy to head for the hills when things get tough. But this wasn't something that she could expect him to be with her for. They weren't married or even engaged for that matter. She hadn't even moved in with him yet. She just didn't want things to get complicated for Aaron, especially if he had an out right now.

Emily got dressed for work, heading into office, avoiding all attempts of communication from Aaron. She turned off her personal phone and shoved it into her purse. Still, the gods of politics wouldn't give her a break as the first person she saw in her office was Aaron. He was sitting on her couch, playing on his phone.

"Aaron, what are you doing here?" she walked past him to her desk.

"Em, we've gotta talk. What the hell happened last night?"

"I thought I was clear. We are done."

"No we're not. Tell me why."

"Because. We're just too different. We want different things in life."

"Then tell me what you want."

_For you to fight for me. To stay with me._ "Nothing," she said. "Look, I'm late for a meeting with the President."

She left her office without glancing at him. It broke her to be as cold and callous as she was towards him. But until she went into that appointment, she was not going to say anything. She hoped Seth wouldn't as well.

After Aaron left Emily's office, he immediately went to Seth's office. After the sleepless night full of staring at the ceiling, Aaron knew that something was up. Emily was never this rash and was always thoughtful and caring. There was no way that she would ever go through with this without talking it out with someone. And that someone was Seth. Despite their breakup, Aaron knew that their friendship still held strong. He walked into Seth's office, with his hands on his hips and face scrunched up in anticipation of Seth's answers.

"Want to tell me what's going on with Emily?" he asked with a hint of frustration and irritation.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Seth answered.

"You know what. All of a sudden, she tells me that we should break up and you're telling me that you have absolutely no idea why."

"Yeah, man. I don't. I just think you need to talk to her," Seth said, wanting to say more but couldn't out of respect for Emily.

"I have. She's not budging. Could you please talk to her for me?"

"I'll see what I can do," Seth said nonchalantly.

Seth really hoped that Emily was going to tell him soon. It had only been less than twenty-four hours and he was already starting to crack. He considered Aaron a friend and didn't want to be in the middle of their fight, especially when it was as life-threatening as this.

* * *

**A/N:** dun dun dun! I hope you all enjoyed the surprise in the middle. Anyways, I finished watching Season 3 and oh my god. The ending was just not what I was expected. For some of you guys that have finished the season, tell me you would have agreed if (blank) was (blank) instead of (blank). I hope they renew DS for season 4!


	7. Chapter 7

Emily's doctor's appointment did not go well as expected. The results came in and it was official. She had cancer. Dr. Nichols, a middle-aged man with thick-rimmed glasses, was the head of the oncology department at George Washington University Hospital. He knew the nature of Emily's job and advised her that along with the treatment, she needed to take it out and lower her stress levels, which was easier said than done.

"Doc, I can't just take time off. I'm the White House Chief of Staff," she said, determined to work around this.

"Well, if you want to even have a chance of fighting this, I suggest that you do," he said taking off his glasses. "Look, I know this is a lot and you're welcome to take the time to look things over," he handed her a brochure on treatment plans. "But it is imperative that we start soon. If you want, I could even set you an appointment a week from now."

Her heart must have stopped at least once and she felt like she couldn't breathe. She tried to open her mouth but nothing came out. She just nodded and left Dr. Nichols' office. Emily headed back to the White House, not sure what to do now. Instead she shut the door of her office and cried, letting out all the tears she held in during the appointment. She couldn't believe that this was really happening, that she was going to have treatment in one week and lose her hair and throw up all the time and lose the chance of ever having kids. This was not the plan. This was not how her life was supposed to go. She was supposed to get married and have kids and have a successful career working for the leader of the free world. Not like this. Not possibly dying before the age of 35.

After an hour of straight crying, Emily cleaned herself up and tried to distract herself with work. It was to no avail as her mind kept going back to how her body was somehow attacking her and there was nothing she could do to make it stop. Seth later stopped by and noticed his friend looking paler and sadder than usual.

"Hey, how did the appointment go?"

"Shut the door."

Seth proceeded to shut the door. Then he sat down next to her on the couch. "What happened?"

"I have it," she said, not being able to bring herself to say the very word.

"Shit," he said. After a pause, "So what happens now?"

"Umm... Dr. Nichols set up an appointment for next week."

"Want me to come with you?"

"No, it's alright."

"Come on, Em. You shouldn't go through this alone," he looked into her eyes. "Alright?"

She nodded. After their conversation, Seth made sure that she was good before he left. On his way out, Aaron walked in. He noticed her puffy eyes and bloodshot eyes again, and was now concerned more than ever.

"Hey," he said watching for any clues in her behavior that could tell him what was wrong.

"Hey."

"Can I just say something? Please? And then I'll get out of your hair," he pleaded. She nodded. "Whatever you're going through, I am here for you. I love you and that's not going to change. So please just tell me what's going on. We've been through a lot together so please."

Emily really wanted to tell him after his little speech but she held herself together. She was trying to protect him, at least that's what she believed. All she could utter out was "I can't." She saw the look of Aaron's face as he slammed the door shut on his way out.

Days went by and before Emily knew it, it had already been almost a week. It was the night before her appointment she was staying later than usual to finish up some paperwork. Kirkman was holding a rally in Florida tomorrow and she had to tell him that she couldn't make it. Of course, she didn't tell him the real reason. Instead she pulled an excuse about wanting to make sure the White House wouldn't burn down while they were gone, not wanting to pull attention away from the campaign. As she walked back towards her office, she found Aaron in her office with his back to her.

"Aaron? What are you doing here?" she asked. He didn't turn around nor give an answer. "Aaron?"

He turned around with her personal phone in his hand and she saw in his eyes that he knew. "I, uh..., was going to give you my report on Syria and your phone started ringing. It went to voicemail and then it rang again. It went to voicemail again and they kept calling. I was worried and I picked it up... It was Dr. Nichols calling to check with you that you were still coming to discuss your treatment plan..."

"Aaron..."

"Is that why...?" he couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence.

She nodded her head, secretly relieved that he finally knew and that she didn't have to tell him. She took a step in his direction and he pulled her into his arms. Both let out their breaths and tears while standing in the middle of her office, holding each other in the tightest embrace possible.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. Please review! Thanks!


End file.
